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      Jose Aldo out of Chad Mendes bout due to injury

      May 24, 2011 /

      An injury has forced UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo out of a planned late-summer bout with Chad Mendes writes HeavyMMA.com.

      UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has suffered an injury and has been forced to withdraw from a planned late-summer bout with Chad Mendes.

      Multiple sources close to the fight confirmed the news with HeavyMMA.com on Monday afternoon.

      Aldo’s injury is believed to be a minor setback and the featherweight champion will be able to fight by mid-September. Mendes plans on taking a fight instead of waiting for the September title shot.

      Aldo last appeared at UFC 129, winning a decision victory over the gutsy Mark Hominick. The undefeated Mendes earned his title shot with a win over Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 126.

      Read more MMA Headlines.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Bengals owner reiterates that team won’t trade Carson Palmer

      May 23, 2011 /
      Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer (L) is sacked by Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Tank Johnson during the second half of their NFL football game in Oakland, California November 22, 2009. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Bengals owner Mike Brown reiterated on Monday that he has no intentions of honoring Carson Palmer’s trade demand.

      From NFL.com:

      “We don’t plan to trade Carson,” Brown said Monday at the NFL Spring Meeting. “He’s important to us. He’s a very fine player, and we do want him to come back. If he chooses not to, he’d retire. And we would go with Andy Dalton, the younger player we drafted, who’s a good prospect.

      “Ideally, we’d have both of them. That’d be the best way to go forward. If we don’t have Carson, we’ll go with Andy.”

      Neither Brown nor Palmer is giving in here. The Bengals would probably prefer to play Palmer for a year or two before Dalton is ready to take over, but Palmer seems hell bent on leaving. At this point Dalton seems like a lock to start Week 1 of the season, although situations change all the time in the NFL so you never know.

      It’ll be interesting to see if the Bengals are the ones to crack first and talk to Palmer about restructuring his deal so they can trade him. Because I don’t see anyone dealing for a 31-year-old quarterback with poor arm strength and paying him $20-plus million over the next two years.

      External Sports, NFL

      Report: Jets are serious about adding Moss

      May 23, 2011 /
      Tennessee Titans wide receiver Randy Moss shows his frustration as he watches the game from the bench against the Houston Texans in the first half at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas on November 28, 2010. The Texans defeated the Titans 20-0. UPI/Aaron M. Sprecher

      Sources have told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News that the Jets in fact of interest in free agent Randy Moss.

      Last month, there were conflicting reports over Gang Green’s level of interest in Moss. Earlier this month, Pro Football Talk reported that it heard rumblings that the 34-year-old wide receiver was on the Jets’ radar.

      The Jets will have more than a cursory interest in Moss if Holmes or Edwards doesn’t return, per sources.

      Rex Ryan firmly believes that Moss is still a viable vertical threat. Even in the twilight of his career, he creates matchup problems. In other words, opposing defensive coordinators still game plan to stop him. Moss is apparently as motivated to prove doubters wrong as he was when the Patriots rescued him from the Raiders four years ago.

      Moss may not ultimately be a Jet, but Gang Green is certainly interested in him if it loses Holmes or Edwards.

      I don’t doubt that Moss can still play at a high level, even given the disastrous ending to his 2010 campaign. If the guy is motivated and focused, he can still be a playmaker in any offense.

      The problem is whether or not he’ll be motivated and focused. And more specifically, whether he’ll be motivated by more than money and focused on helping his team win. He was only motivated by money in New England last year and he clearly wasn’t focused after he was traded to Minnesota and picked up by Tennessee.

      This guy flat out disappeared for two years in Oakland only to resurrect from the dead to post 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns in New England during the 2007 season. So even at this stage in his career, the question isn’t whether or not he can play. He can. The question is whether or not he’ll be motivated enough to be worth an investment, which is something that Rex Ryan (a great motivator) and the Jets will have to figure before they eventually pursue him. (Assuming of course that the above report is accurate and they are interested.)

      External Sports, NFL

      Thunder vet: Westbrook “thinks he’s better than Kevin Durant.”

      May 23, 2011 /
      Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks (L) provides instruction to key players Kevin Durant (35) and Russell Westbrook (0) during Game 4 of their NBA Western Conference playoff series in Oklahoma City, April 24, 2010. REUTERS/Bill Waugh (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      The NY Daily News has a quote from an unnamed Thunder vet that is bound to stir up some controversy.

      As one Thunder veteran said, privately, “He thinks he’s better than Kevin Durant.”

      Not only that, but Westbrook has the backing of Thunder GM Sam Presti, who made a name for himself with his drafting of Westbrook with the fourth pick in 2008. Presti’s micromanagement behind the scenes has caused some friction between the head of the front office and his coaches, but Brooks didn’t pay any attention to that when he saw that Maynor was his best option to even the series.

      Who is this veteran? And why is he dropping nuggets like this while the Thunder are in the middle of a knock-down, drag-out playoff series with the Mavs? Perhaps it’s a former player, not someone currently on the roster.

      The thing that interests me about this story is the take of CBS writer Royce Young, who had this to say about Westbrook’s belief in his ability.

      But when you’re an All-Star, a second-team All-NBA player that’s as confident in yourself as Westbrook, would you really not think you’re better than Durant. Not us in the general public here. We all know Durant is better. In terms of Westbrook, is it really so bad to think that? In fact, isn’t it probably a good thing?

      No, it’s not a good thing. The best teams usually have players that know their roles. Pau Gasol doesn’t think he’s better than Kobe, and Kevin Garnett doesn’t think he should be shooting the ball instead of Paul Pierce. The last really great team to have a pecking order issue was the Shaq/Kobe-era Lakers, and look what happened to them. When Kobe accepted his role, the duo was able to win three straight titles. As soon as he started to try to take over alpha dog status, they crashed and burned in the Finals against a much more cohesive Detroit Pistons team.

      If Westbrook does in fact think he’s better than Durant, then there’s trouble brewing in OKC. This isn’t the case of a young upstart trying to take the mantle from an established vet. These are two young players that will be playing with each other for a while, and if Westbrook can’t accept his role as second fiddle, then there are going to be problems down the line.

      Scratch that — there might be problems right now.

      External Sports, NBA

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